


Doctor Who - Palaces of Solitude

by Genevieve_Lace



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gallifry, Gen, Multi, TARDIS - Freeform, Thirteen - Freeform, doctor who - Freeform, thasmin, yasmin khan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-09 18:23:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20122840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genevieve_Lace/pseuds/Genevieve_Lace
Summary: Thirteen and her companion Yasmin Khan find themselves on Gallifrey’s twin planet on a day an old fable becomes reality. An army of assassins in pursuit, a deadly escape route and a secret that will bring the Doctor to her knees when forced to face a past decision on one of her darkest days.Thasmin AU - more chapters to come





	Doctor Who - Palaces of Solitude

The Doctor's Stolen Princess - written by Genevieve Lace

-CHAPTER ONE

Palaces of Solitude

Time was confusing, it burned and raged, it was expansive and unforgiving- The scream of the vortex as they had been ripped from the TARDIS was still echoing, hours later in the Doctors ears, she knew it was all she had, time was everything.

Yasmin held her breath, she was hurtling through space with the Doctor, this time, without the TARDIS, holding on to one thought, one very important thought.

Whatever you do Yasmin Khan, do not lose the Doctor.

They appeared with a flash at the foot of a deserted valley like ghosts in a strange mist,Yasmin lay still, her eyes closed, breathing steadily, a minute or so passed before she ran her hand across the surface beneath her, hoping to feel solid ground. The ground was soft, the consistency of snow.

‘Right then, said the Doctor ‘wonky technology but the key got us here, the palace is just this way Yaz'..The Doctor reached for her sonic screwdriver getting to her feet first and frantically pushing away the blond hair obscuring her vision. The Time Lord glanced at her companion who was laying inches from her, in the fetal position on the ash strewn floor. The Doctor admonished herself inwardly. How incredibly foolish she had been. It had been simple arrogance and stupidity that had allowed her to lead her companion into unbelievable danger.

Frustration, no, something like anger was rising in the Doctor, a sense of panic..this feeling, this was new. 'Focus now... which way'..coaxing herself to concentrate. She needed Yaz on her feet, they had a decent head start but the ThAanian assassins were not far behind.

'Yaz open your eyes, the time shift sickness will last seconds..the ash is harmless we need to move'. The Doctor spoke softly, her words all but lost in the storm.

Yasmin kept her eyes closed, counting her heartbeat, listening out for the Doctor 'Yasmin Khan, please follow my voice, you're safe'..The Doctor called out above the howling wind, loudly this time, with more confidence. To reassure herself more than her companion.

Yasmin dizzy and covered in ash stood in one swift movement, dusting her jeans and trying valiantly to shake the ash and sand out of her trainers.

There was a furnace raging above them. 'I’m here.. I'm fine, all good' she replied, shielding her eyes from the suns, her mind was racing, she was terrified but she wanted the Doctor to know that she was ok. Moving quickly, trying not to dwell on how worried the boys would be when the TARDIS returned without them. 

Life on the TARDIS was unconventional, extraordinary and nearly always dangerous. She had been on enough journeys with the Doctor to know that she had to stay calm and stick to facts. Brushing away doubt, Yasmin reminded herself that she had always done better with evidence over emotion.

What were the facts Yasmin asked herself, listing them, creating a timeline in her mind's eye.

They had dropped Ryan and Graham off on the other side of the planet, in the city of the Gates of Greatest Games 2000 years in the future. The Gallifrayan had taken them to watch the universe's most popular sporting event, the final Ricying tournament.

It's a lot like the premier league' the Doctor had explained at great length. Except it wasn't like football at all, there were no nets or balls, and the players were controlled by a collection of artificial intelligence- It was however the spectacular view from the luxurious seventeen star hotel, The triple Night Towers, that really sold it to them.

Yasmin and the Doctor had arrived on the Planet ThAn two thousand years in the future just in time to see the seven sunrises, which only occurred every one thousand and ninety nine years. The Tardis had made a reluctant landing on a vast midnight blue hillside overlooking the Ancient Temples- a landscape so beautiful Yasmin had been stunned into silence.

The Doctor found this immensely amusing and explained dramatically, that since Team TARDIS came on board, she was not able to get a word in!- Yasmin knew that had Graham been there, he would have said 'Doc, Kettle, Black?’

Yasmin however was content to keep her increasingly confusing thoughts to herself for the day and especially away from Ryan and Graham's knowing looks- Yasmin loved them both, but they knew her too well, they could see through her lies. The Doctor on the other hand was so detached and oblivious from her own feelings, there was no way she could know..besides when it came to the Doctor, Yasmin had a pretty decent poker face. A skill she had developed and honed whilst working her way through the Police Academy.

The Doctor had been beaming whilst looking out over the horizon- Yasmin perched contentedly next to the TARDIS, running her hands through warm blue glades of grass. She smiled up at the Doctor as the Time Lord with some authority busied herself naming the seven suns and their correlating constellations, neither of them were prepared for what happened next, the TARDIS had began to phase in and out of their reality. Yasmin shuddered remembering the sound the TARDIS made, expelling them as the Doctor desperately attempted to stabilize her.

Yasmin knew, she needed to stay calm and focus on the one person who could drown out the panic rising. They had been lucky, or the TARDIS had been kind- because she expelled them over soft sand dunes next to the only tiny pocket of civilisation for a thousand miles. It wasn’t long before they were running away from the city chased by a monk who was screaming as loud as he could that a thief had stolen a time shift key. The Doctor cursing something about telepathy being the death of physic paper, shouted back that she was merely borrowing the key and would return with interest. 

Yasmin wasn't always sure where or even why they were running, but since she had known the Doctor, she had trusted her and when the Doctor said run, that's what they did.

Travelling with the Doctor had changed her, she had never laughed more then she did on the TARDIS and here and now, in the face of certain death, Yasmin felt decidedly calm. In fact she felt safe the moment she heard the Doctors voice, it was enough to give her the strength she needed to believe- she could defeat anything.

'This way Yaz', said the Doctor, pulling her out of her reverie.

Yasmin knew the Doctor was lost without her TARDIS, the same way most people would be lost without their phones or cars, except the TARDIS was so much more, so she approached the subject delicately, trying to keep her voice normal.

'Doctor, how exactly will the TARDIS know where to go?

'Oh I wouldn't worry about the TARDIS Yaz, she is all set to protect herself'. The Doctors voice was labored as she made her way up a steep hill.

'The TARDIS is clever, she would have returned back to her last safe coordinates.' 'I'm sure of it'. The Doctor said firmly. There was hope the Doctor thought- Ryan and Graham were safe, the TARDIS would return to them and take them back to Earth.

When there was nothing, there was always hope the Doctor thought vehemently willing her mind to believe it.

'Can you see the way in?' Yasmin shouted, she was breathing fast, jogging to keep up with the Doctors pace. The Doctor turned and gestured that they needed to walk on- seeing a look of apprehension on Yaz's face the Doctor attempted to wave clumsily and smile.

This was a bad idea- The Doctor thought, she was just grimacing in her companions general direction, thankfully Yasmin wasn't looking her way- It looked like she had decided it was now or never- and had started to undo her laces- The Doctor smiled lost for a moment watching her companion resolutely pour ash and sand, out of her trainers.

The Doctor was terrified for her companion, more then she had been at any other point during this regeneration, the suffering she had endured with the loss of Bill and Clara and so many before were locked away some where safe- Her closeness to Yaz was different and it scared her, but she wouldn't let her own fears get in the way- pulling herself together, the Doctor focused on her endgame. It was simple, she would give everything, even her life to get Yaz safe- the ThAnian Brotherhood had no rightful claim. There was only one option, the Doctor told herself, no, promising herself. She knew intimately that even high priests in their circular tower's benefited from lies.

Taking out her sonic screwdriver, the Doctor blasted the rocks to clear a path ahead, "the shield above is holding, said the Doctor, ' but we are in the eye of the storm Yaz, stay really close"

The cave entrance glittered in the distance, seeing that the Doctor had stopped, Yasmin looked up following the Doctors gaze. Back on earth Yasmin would never have been stupid enough to look directly at the Sun- on ThAn there were seven suns, one had exploded and now it was angry and scorching, perpetually self destructing- But the science was different than on Earth, Yasmin was able to safely look up at a dying Sun- This terrified her as much as it exhilarated her. Blinking hard, Yasmin felt a welcome rush of pride at the sight of the glass like dome, high above them- had it not been for the Doctor's quick thinking the Dome of Catstrillion would not have held when the sun destructed- ok so maybe they had not been pointlessly running around the temples, as Yasmin had initially remembered- this was good, whatever the Doctors plan was, it had got them this far- An apocalypse raged above them and all that was holding Yasmin together was that dome and her belief in the Doctor.

The Doctor stood still, unwilling or unable to take in the view before her- she took a deep breath, - OK Doctor- no more mistakes. Yasmin approached quietly, registering the Doctors stillness, she waited.

The problem with standing still, she thought ruefully, was she was gathering dust, literally covered in purple ash - she began waving her arms around gently, trying in vain to protect her eyes from the storm- the ash was beginning to obscure her vision, blinking furiously- Yasmin saw the Doctor move slightly to her left, as if suddenly aware of her companions struggle behind her- Yasmin was astonished, she was instantly standing inside a vacuum, debris from the storm timidly dancing, away from her in the slipstream.

The valley behind them whistled loudly, startling Yasmin, the sound piercing her already exhausted mind- she was tired, her head hurt, but the women who was shielding her in that moment meant more to Yasmin, than anyone ever had. So when the time came, her feet moved effortlessly following the Doctor into the cave, knowing in that moment that she would follow this woman to the end of time- Yasmin did not have to wait long- the sight that met as the entered could only be somewhere at the end of the universe.

The cave entrance opened into a large high ceiling domed chamber, seven pillars created a wide circumference, casting shadows outlining smaller chambers within- The floor in the inner circle was warm, soft green marble, slightly elevated, the walls and pillars caught Yasmin's eyes immediately.

Every surface was illuminated- the walls the brightest, presumably naturally. Yasmin focused her attention on one spot- It was strange the way it was flickering, like a HD TV on the blink- that did not make sense- 'definitely translucent!', Yasmin said to herself.

Yaz was excitedly bouncing around the chamber, the Doctor followed her, scanning the room.

'This is amazing!- Yasmin exclaimed, I mean it's really so very beautiful, catching the Doctors eye, Yaz beamed.

'Doctor look at the walls, they're... what are they made of?

"Oh these walls are something aren't they!?, the Doctor agreed, 'there's nothing like it on Earth Yaz'. - 'Well it is a little like liquid diamond, if that was fortified with gold and ThAnian ruby in volcanic ash- for a century, maybe two the Doctor expanded, now pressing her hands into the wall.

'The ThAnian high priests would isolate themselves in these caves for centuries, as did the ancient monks before them, they said the walls spoke words of wisdom.

The Doctor glanced at Yasmin, who was tentatively looking at the wall, she held her hand an inch away- 'What is this place' she whispered.

The Doctor turned to face her, taking a few steps back, throwing her hands up eagerly as if she was unveiling a prized piece of art

'This Yaz, the Doctor said is one of the seven Palaces of solitude . ' - when I say one of, what I actually mean is, the other's were destroyed- this is the only one..

'That's awful said Yaz, shifting with resolve, placing both hands on the wall.

The moment Yasmin's hand made contact, she felt relaxed- all her aches washed away in an instant- She felt fuzzy and warm, the feeling inexplicably took her to Christmas day, sat with her family- that moment when everyone has eaten and too groggy to bicker- laughing together in front of of the TV - she could almost see the stupid tatty giant stocking's her dad hung every year- displayed ridiculously on a string hanging across the dining room..

Yasmin laughed out loud, tracing the stockings with her hand-, dad refused to let mum replace them, it drove mum mad- Yasmin's family were Muslim but Christmas was a huge part of their lives, Yasmin had always thought she had got lucky growing up with dual British Pakistani culture, celebrating Eid twice a year as well as Christmas, back on earth it was one of Yasmin's favorite times of year.The Doctors expression became dark, her gaze was following Yaz's hand, who was unknowingly tracing an inscription that was completely invisible to her.

'It is peaceful in here said Yasmin, pulling away from the wall, choosing to circle the closest pillar instead -' I'll give the old priests that'.

The Doctor began pacing, tracing the edges of the chamber, stopping to lean down at the base of several water wells- 'The priests had everything they needed to survive Yaz.'

"There's drinking water, which is complete sustenance, the Doctor explained- 'but careful, it's warm. The water on the planet is evaporating, the sun is burning, - but that won't stop.. The Doctor had stopped talking, becoming abruptly distant- lost in thought.

Yasmin frowned- the Doctor was inevitably going to tell her what was going on, she couldn't understand why the Time Lord was being so evasive.

''Doctor, why exactly are the assassins looking for us?' said Yasmin, asking the question directly this time.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, eventually relenting and meeting Yasmin's determined gaze- It was like trying to reason with a tornado Yasmin thought bitterly.

'I hope you know that you’re impossible' - Yasmin said, in a low voice - annoyed- she began shivering uncontrollably, which was odd because she was sure she was not cold. The Doctor slid off her coat and placed it tenderly around Yaz's shoulders before turning away, deliberately hiding her face, Yasmin couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

'I am not scared' Yasmin called defiantly, please get that thought out of your head right now', - 'just tell me what the plan is'- Yasmin walked quickly, closing the gap between them in seconds- the Doctor turned to face her- backing into the wall.

'Yaz, when we lost the TARDIS, we lost the Translation Matrix- The TARDIS translates everything around us- when we landed she wasn't stable enough- On any other planet, fine, you'd be a foreigner, who didn't understand the language- It's different on ThAn- the language is bound together, telepathically- weaved into the fabric of reality.

It took me a hour without the TARDIS to integrate. The Doctor said rubbing her temples.- 'Without the Translation Matrix, it would take a human seventy-eight no ninety- eight years to weave their mind into the mainframe- that's if they worked out how to do it, it very complex- it would also probably be too painful, for a human that is,' the Doctor finished matter of factly.

Yasmin rolled her eyes, she knew the Doctor was not trying to insult her- even though technically she was saying her human brain was mush.

'OK, so what exactly can't I see?, Yasmin said taking a three sixty- her eyes narrowed looking at every inch of her surroundings. The cave was exceptionally bright in an unearthly, supernatural way- her eyes could see all the way into the furthest corners, all the way up to the darkest object in the cave- a dense purple glacier, the size of a small building, suspended as if by magic, melting slowly creating a cascading waterfall in the far corner towards the west.

Yasmin turned to face the Doctor, taking in at once her wide eyes, full of regret and fear- this frustrated her. She meant something to the Doctor- she was sure of that, but Yasmin was also fiercely independent and needed the Doctor to understand that and to trust her too.

'Doctor, I Yasmin Khan of Park Hill Estate, Sheffield, Earth.. swear on all that is real and hidden, that I trust you and no matter what happens I do not hold you responsible in any way'. The Doctor did not respond. Yasmin sighed, 'OK fine, I know I ask loads of questions, too many? Just tell me what's wrong, however it makes sense to you' start from the beginning or the end, I really don't mind'.

The Doctor nodded and sat down leaning against the wall, Yasmin followed suit, reaching out her hand as she settled down, placing it on the Doctors arm.

''We've got each other haven't we, whatever it is- we can face it together, promised Yasmin.

The Doctor was out of time, how could she begin to explain to Yaz that every grain of sand and blade of grass on this planet was imprinted with the sacred star, a devout religious symbol of prosperity for the seven kingdoms of ThAn. 

A symbol that was inexplicably identical to a birthmark on Yasmin's right shoulder blade.

Closing her eyes the Doctor chastised herself, how did she let this happen. The Doctor knew better than any other being, fate was powerful- but in almost all universes, fate was nothing more than fiction- How would her companion make sense of it, it barely made sense to the Doctor, and she had once looked into the heart of the Medusa Cascade.

The Doctor opened her eyes to see a look of concern on Yaz's face, placing her hand over Yasmin's the Doctor said 'Ok so Yaz, do you recall me saying that there are planets so old in this solar system and eventually the only thing that remains is a scattering of stardust travelling silently through eons... Yasmin squeezed the Doctors hand to let her know she was listening, The Doctor was grateful, she needed to get through this without questions.

'Well some civilizations sang hymns to immortalize their God's or memorized and transcribed poems into scriptures to immortalize a saint, some weaved symbols into telepathic fields, connecting galaxies. The Doctor explained.

'This planet- the planet of ThAn too has a Goddess, dating all the way back to the first ancient folklore, some say it was the birth of several religions in this region of space- ThAn became the dominant race- growing until they became an expansive civilization spanning the seven kingdoms, surviving the Time War and spreading out over time across sixteen galaxies'.

The Doctor suddenly jumped up and began pacing, now using her hands to illustrate her words, or simply to expel nervous energy.

'The kingdoms are ruled by seven of the oldest ThAnian clan- for a millennia, they have taken their places on the highest councils, acting as temporary custodians of the kingdoms until the return of the rightful heir. The prophecies say the lost Princess, the savior would herald an end to the famine and give birth to a new Sun.'

Yasmin was following the Doctors pacing- she understood some of what the Doctor was saying, but thought it was probably best to wait before asking any questions. It was times like this Yasmin really missed her PNB- her Police Officers notebook.

'The TARDIS recognized this as a hostile planet Yaz, The Doctor lowered her head, thinking hard, -'it's why she wouldn't stabilize, I made a mistake, we shouldn't have stepped off.

Yasmin knew she did not fully understand the significance the TARDIS not stabilising - but she was distracted by her skeptical nature- something isn't adding up- , how was a princess- lost, a goddess and a savior, it seemed pretty staged to her, she raised her eyes to ask the question but the look on the Doctor's face stopped her mid sentence. Yasmin knew the Doctor was ancient and new, wise and powerful, The Doctor was a warrior- kind but never vengeful, but in that moment the look on the Doctors face was unnerving. It was almost entirely unfathomable, but Yasmin recognised that this was a look that was not kind.

Doctor? Yasmin whispered

The Doctor looked down at her hands, controlling her thoughts before she continued.

'During the first famine the ThAnian Brotherhood were formed- they were descendants from the first monks of the old scripture- their single purpose was to fortify and justify the reign. They were cruel Yaz, creating the ThAnian assassins- a royal army of sorts. They were desperate, so they sought help from the Pupils of Sight to forge a sign, a symbol- The Pupils of Sight were sentient beings- some say the ThAnian Brotherhood forged an alliance at great cost.

The Doctor fell silent.

'How do you know so much about the history of ThAn? Yasmin asked, have you been here before?

'No' said the Doctor firmly.

'Gallifrey- my home planet was practically neighbors to ThAn..in the next solar system..The Time Lords intervened during the civil uprisings.

Yasmin's heart skipped a beat, she sat up straighter, trying really hard not to grin, considering how somber the Doctor sounded.

The Doctor rarely spoke of home- Ryan had told her more than once to stop asking the Doctor about Gallifrey, not that she could help it, she had said a much to Ryan.

Yasmin had wanted to know everything about the Doctor, and would have kept asking until the end of time-or until the Doctor relented and finally took them to Gallifrey.

Yasmin looked up, the Doctor hesitated then settled on sitting down directly in front of her.

Yasmin smiled, encouragingly..

'I had a friend, on Gallifrey, whose clan fled ThAn during the first famines. - 'I spent my childhood listening to his stories, filled with magic and adventure, to a child's ear, they were fairy tales. - 'In reality his whole clan had been all but wiped out, the Doctor's voice changed

' ThAn is the closest planet Yaz'.. 'I wanted to - I couldn't take you to Gallifrey..

'Thank you for bringing me here,`` Yasmin said quickly leaning forward a little, wanting desperately to reassure the Doctor. 'So what, things didn't go to plan, we've been in worse spots, right? I mean look at this place Yasmin exclaimed excitedly.

‘There's a purple waterfall, an actual real life purple waterfall!’.

Yasmin, knew the Doctor was dancing around whatever was really bothering her, this kind of rambling was about the most normal thing the Doctor had done in several hours.- she smiled relishing the moment of familiarity.

'So you'd heard about the history of ThAn from a friend and now you are experiencing it firsthand, you've done that loads before haven't you, lived history, isn’t that exactly what you do? Yasmin asked trying to keep her tone light- anything to keep her fear at bay.

'Sort of' replied the Doctor, it's more like, history was lost, so the people of ThAn tried to make sense of it all, their existence, everything by telling stories.- Today the seven clans of ThAn have enforced a strict adherence to the old scripture, a way to control the rising resistance’.

'So it's not really true then? Yasmin asked, the folklore, I mean, about a lost princes- it's just a fable that the powerful are selling as a religion to subjugate the people of ThAn’ reasoned Yasmin, that's just fantastic she thought, the universe is full of hideous tyrants.

'But Doctor’, Yasmin started, 'that doesn't explain why the assassins are chasing us across the planet?'

'It does Yaz, and I am sorry, the ThAnian assassins take a blood oath, they can't stop- the Doctor spoke softly, enunciating every word carefully, Yaz felt a tingling in her spine, unsure of exactly what was making her feel nervous.

'Doctor, what is it? This lost princess, I mean, is she a person or a god? Yasmin was backtracking, her mind racing.

'The prophecies have varied depending on the clans they originated from, replied the Doctor speaking fast now, as if she wanted to get to the end of the story.

'Yaz there was always one constant, one consistent prophecy- in every folklore.. I should have known, the Doctor said absentmindedly, running her hands fervently through her hair, finally resting them in her lap, balled into fists, measuring her breath, slowly down her heartbeats.

Yasmin pulled up her knees and furrowed her brows, the Doctor had closed her eyes- Yasmin sat silently, watching.

They sat like that for a while, the gentle rush of the water the only sound breaking the eerie silence. Yasmin shifted and laid her head on her knees, the Doctor's coat wrapped around her, keeping her warm.

Team TARDIS had understood really early on that the Doctor sometimes needed time- time alone, time to think.

The Doctor looked serene in her meditative state- where is an iPhone when you need one thought Yasmin ruefully.. not for the first time, Yasmin was exceptionally thankful the Doctor could not read her mind, nor would she have the guts to ever tell her how she felt or that she thought the Doctor was the most beautiful person she had ever met.

The Doctor opened her eyes, 'Yaz, sorry was just thinking ...are you ok?, shall I continue?- I promise there's a reason I am telling you all of this.

Yasmin smirked wondering if the Doctor was aware that she had stopped talking herself mid story well over fifteen minutes ago..

'Doctor, can I be honest? Yasmin said biting her lip, - The Doctor hesitated, she knew this look, and knew she was lost. - integrating her mind into a hostile telepathic field was one thing, reading this human being in front of her was quite another, this irritated her immensely.

The Doctor narrowed her eyes, slightly tilting her face said, 'of course Yaz, honesty, yes, of course, always'.

Yasmin pouted, only further confusing the Doctor.

'Doctor, I know I am just a simple human being from Earth' Yasmin spoke slowly, deliberately. 'All of this.. she continued, her eyes wide , gesturing to her surroundings.

‘These new worlds, the universe, it is terrifying, and exciting but mostly it is something I could never, ever have even wished for, I actually mean that literally, before I met you Doctor, my brain was stuck somewhere between parking tickets, and well, the mundane. But you Doctor, you are not so difficult to wish for.. in fact you are a tiny little bit more predictable, even practical'.

The Doctor raised her eyebrows, her mouth opening in surprise, moving her lips, with no sound coming out- Yasmin roared with laughter.

'I don't know what you mean, retorted the Doctor indignantly.

Yasmin, continued to laugh.

The Doctor waited for Yaz to regain composure- Yasmin guffawed an apology, and had tried to stop herself giggling, causing her to hiccup.

'Doctor, I am- sorry...finish the stor ...story'- she said, now taking deep breaths

The Doctor nodded, her eyes narrowed- only returning Yasmin's smile fleetingly. 'The Pupils of Sight, were coherent about the lost princess Yaz,' explained the Doctor,

'They prophesied that a woman would arrive at dawn, when the skies would turn blue and the seventh Sun would fall- they said her hair would be the color of Puliver.'

'What's a Puliver? Asked Yasmin, imagining a gold colored fruit.

'Puliver existed before the 7 suns of ThAn'- some say it's a fixed point in the universe, where this planet was born.

'So it’s the planet?' asked Yasmin, trying not to look too confused.

'Puliver was said to be a dark star, or a suspended black hole depending on where you stand' said the Doctor continuing as if she had been uninterrupted.

'The prophecies all state that the goddess would fly with stardust and leave starlight in her wake, the Doctor shook her head slightly and said' the prophecy said her eyes would sparke with time. In ThAnian tongue 'she is called VAnik; a goddess who will rise with the symbol of prosperity adorning her wings, ending the famine, heralding a new dawn.

The Doctor was taking shallow breaths deliberately, afraid she would forget to breathe- her mind evaluating, re evaluating, everything she knew and all that she had forgotten.

'There were signs Yaz, I've been reckless shaking her head wearily the Doctor held Yasmin's gaze, pleading...'I need you to be brave...The moment you landed here Yaz, the atmosphere, every inch and atom on this planet recognized the arrival of VAnik.

There was an eerie silence, even the soft rushing of the waterfall fell silent. Yasmin did not move, she held her breath frantically trying to make sense sense of the Doctors words.

Maybe she had fallen asleep and was dreaming, Yasmin's mind raced, checking the facts- she hadn't liked the look of the monk in the temple earlier, the one Doctor had bartered with for the time shift key . The Doctor had insisted they needed to get to the cave- Yes- that made perfect sense, she had hit her head when they had crashed into the valley- she was still lying there...this was a weird dream.

'Yaz, did you hear what I said? The Doctor was close now' her voice still distant- Yasmin was struggling to make out her words- The Doctor didn't have time to find the right ones.

'Yaz, I'm sorry, the ThAnian Brotherhood were alerted the moment we arrived, we triggered an alarm the Doctor said weakly, do you understand?.

Yasmin was feeling dizzy again - ‘No I don't understand’ she said, ‘how did the TARDIS landing here trigger an alarm?’

The Doctor looked like she did want to not respond, perhaps she did not like the answer Yasmin thought wryly.

The ThAnian brotherhood have sacrificed their oldest Sun' the Doctor said- as if in answer to Yasmin's question, ‘they have taken steps publicly... They must have found a way to manipulate the space continuum, that's what forced the TARDIS to activate protocol three.

'Doctor are you saying we are trapped and that a lunatic group of assassins are chasing us- because of some fable, and why?because we arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time? Yasmin could feel her temper rising.

‘Not exactly' said the Doctor, 'well yes, but no- we're safe here, for now.'

When Yasmin did not respond, the Doctor continued..'The palaces of solitude were said to isolate it’s inhabitants- outside everything on this planet, every living organism is connected through a low telepathic field. Technically we should be invisible, off the radar'.

'Maybe something else set off the alarm, maybe they've burned a sun for no sane reason shouted Yasmin, she was angry.

The Doctor had been travelling with her companions for several months now, Yasmin by far the was the most resilient of the 3, she was also usually infuriatingly calm. The Doctor knew Yaz's anger was temporary, there was no need challenge her, or ask her to calm down. Instead the Doctor looked up towards the top of the waterfall.

Yasmin's eyes followed the Doctors gaze, settling on the giant purple glacier- it looked like someone had frozen Ribena and it was melting in slow motion, it was absurd- focusing on the insane was actually helping.

The Doctor watched Yasmin concentrate her anger on the glacier- fear and anger was boiling in the pit of the Doctors stomach too- but she knew she was not mistaken. She would have to show Yaz for her to understand their true predicament.

The Doctor was panicking, there was no TARDIS, no translation matrix, Yasmin was unable to read or even see the inscriptions on the cave walls that vividly describe a star shaped birthmark, nor had she seen the etchings in the distance on the hills of MArden as they had passed through the Valley.

The Doctor's feet had faltered for a moment seeing the striking likeness in the grotesque grand statute, towering over the entrance of the cave- leading to this temporary sanctuary. The Doctor could not lose- she knew an army was coming- any minute, with one intent, to mercilessly rip The Doctor's companion away from her.

Without warning there was suddenly movement above them, The Doctor moved fast- Yasmin had not heard the assassins war horns in the distance, she was still trying to compose her anger. - Seeing the Doctor move, Yasmin stood up, acutely aware the Doctor was responding to danger.

'Yaz do you trust me the Doctor whispered a little forcefully, she was close.

Yasmin could feel her breath on her cheek, 'yes, more than I trust myself, she said without hesitation- 'which is a first actually, I've always trusted myself more than anyone, even back at the academy', Yasmin was rambling and speaking incredibly fast.

The Doctor placed a finger on Yaz's lips to silence her, moving them silently into a shadow, crouching down- the Doctor took out her sonic screwdriver- Yasmin silently sank to her knees with the doctor, her heartbeat deafening- echoing in her ears.

'We will have to leave Yaz- we have minutes before they make their way into the cave- but before we go, I need you to see what I can- the Doctor spoke in a frantic whisper.

'I'm going to place my hand on your temples, it's safe,- you will be able to see our surroundings through my eyes, it will only be for a moment- I will be here the whole time'.

Yaz reached out and taking the Doctors hands in one swift movement, placed them on either side of her temples, tilting her head forward, closing her eyes- 'fine- let me see what all the fuss is about?', whispered Yasmin.The Doctor took a deep breath. Yasmin felt light headed- then intense heat shot through her head, Yasmin exhaled and the Doctor let go.

A second passed like a lifetime, Yasmin's eyes shot open, colors were luminous, the gold sharper, vivid, separating itself from the silver, words were appearing clearly visible inscribed along the walls, an image that Yasmin knew better then the back of her hand, she gasped and in an instant understood what the Doctor had been struggling to say..

The so called sacred symbol inscribed on every atom on this planet was also inscribed on her body- the ThAnainan brotherhood, had set a trap and she had fallen pray the moment she stepped foot onto the surface of their planet.

This makes no sense-I mean it's obviously a case of mistaken identity- I'm human, it’s just a birthmark'- Yasmin was freaking out, shaking her head, colours were returning back to normal.

The Doctor was focusing on the glacier, averting her eyes from Yaz's questions.

'I am taking you home Yaz, I promise', said the Doctor firmly,- 'I do not recognize the authority of the ThAnain Brotherhood or their high priests'.

Yasmin tried to say something in response, but faltered, looking into the Doctors determined eyes- she realized her fear had abated- she just needed to focus on the Doctor, everything else could literally go to hell.

'This Planet must have been rigged to recognize you' theorized the Doctor, - she was moving quickly around Yasmin in a circular motion, making random calculations whilst Yasmin stood averting her eyes from the door to the chamber.

'But it's not just that, the Doctor persisted, looking at Yaz, marveling for a moment at how brave her companion was.

The Doctor spoke gently, considering her next words carefully- 'Yaz, they perfectly describe you, in their folklore, in their songs, I'd forgotten...'

Yasmin scoffed, 'seriously there are songs about me, that's a joke, there's nothing special about me- you can't rhyme Yasmin with anything!'.-

The Doctor despite herself smiled, smugly.

'Ok, I admit I have a birthmark, shrugged Yasmin- 'sure it looks like a symbol someone once made up a long time ago- it's a coincidence at best, you're not seriously suggesting that I'm some sort of lost princess?' Yasmin asked incredulously crossing her arms, the Doctor glared at her- This time, Yasmin heard the unmistakable screech of the war horns first.

The ThAnaian assassins had reached the mouth of the cave- their war cries, artillery and heavy footsteps echoing off the seven pillars.

Yaz and the Doctor had minutes..

'I know you have a plan Doctor', Yasmin said firmly, handing the Doctor back her coat.

'Why then would I be scared, even for a moment- she said softly, winking at the Doctor- The Doctor took Yasmin's outstretched hand and bracing herself with her free hand, raised her sonic towards the purple glacier.

'Yasmin Khan, you should know something- you are not always right- in fact you are wrong about this one thing', the Doctor assured her, turning it over and gripping her sonic tighter in her hand.

Yasmin broke into her widest grin of the day and looked up at the Ribena slush. the Doctor was counting down to something..Yasmin held the Doctors hand tighter, bracing herself for whatever was next.

'Yaz' shouted the Doctor above the sounds hundreds of approaching feet, 'you are exceptionally special- maybe they're right, and you are a princess, a goddess and a saviour, just do me a favour- remember this- I’m the Doctor, and they can send every goddam assassin on this plain, I will not let them near you, now hold on, this is about to get icy cold, and very wet. 

Note from Author:

Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter, this is a work in progress- I will admit this is my first dabble at fan fiction- feel free to leave feedback. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. G.L


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